*It is your individual responsibility to check whether these e-learning courses satisfy the criteria set-out by your state engineering board. NAFEMS does not guarantee that your individual board will accept these courses for PDH credit, but we believe that the courses comply with regulations in most US states (except Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana, and New York, where providors are required to be pre-approved).

Non-Linear Analysis - NAFEMS e-Learning Training Course

Non-Linear Analysis

April 12th - May 3rd 2012

Four-Week Training Course

one 2.5 hour session per week.

Engineering Board PDH Credits: 10 hours*

Please click here to view the FAQ section, or if you need to contact NAFEMS about this course.

Course Overview

Many problems facing designers and engineers are nonlinear in nature. The response of a structure cannot be simply assessed using linear assumptions.

Nonlinear behavior can take many forms and can be bewildering to the newcomer. All physical systems in the real world are inherently nonlinear in nature.

One of the most difficult tasks facing an engineer is to decide whether a nonlinear analysis is really needed and if so what degree of nonlinearity should be applied.

Looking at a bolt heavily loaded in an attachment fitting, it may be that the change in stiffness and load distribution path are critical in evaluating peak stress levels. Perhaps the assembly is in an overload condition and we need to check that plastic growth is stable and there is no ultimate failure – bent but not broken!

A flange on a connector arm may be under compressive load, but also sees heavy bending. We need to assess the resistance to buckling with deflection dependent loading paths and possible plastic behavior.

Whatever the nature of the challenge, this objective of this course is to break down the nonlinear problem into clearly defined steps, give an overview of the physics involved and show how to successfully implement practical solutions using Finite Element Analysis.

Course Process and Details

In the current climate travel and training budgets are tight. To help you still meet your training needs the following e-learning course has been developed to complement the live class. The e-learning course runs over a four week period with a single two hour session per week.

E-learning classes are ideal for companies with a group of engineers requiring training. E-learning classes can be provided to suit your needs and timescale. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

The course is completely code independent. No software is required.

Each topic in the class is treated as a building block and is presented using an overview of the physics and theory involved. The math is kept simple and the emphasis is on practical examples from real life to illustrate the topic. The mapping to Finite Element analysis techniques is shown with numerous workshops. The tutor will be running analysis interactively and involving the students in the process via Q and A periods during each session, follow up emails and a course bulletin board

Students are shown the various approximation methods and how to judge which are acceptable and appropriate for solving a wide range of practical problems. Practical considerations of types of nonlinearity, solutions available, elements to use and structural details are shown by numerous examples.

Of equal importance is the assessment and interpretation of results. This starts with ensuring a building block linear solution is feasible and accurate. Once this stage is completed then the degree of nonlinear complexity is gradually increased until an effective simulation of the real world event is developed. A range of hints and tips are shown for a wide range of different nonlinear analysis types.

Interaction is encouraged throughout the course. Students are welcome to send in problems from industry and these will be discussed as time permits.

Full notes are provided for the students, together with personal passwords for e-learning backup material, bulletin board access, etc.

Who Should Attend?

This course is aimed at practicing engineers who wish to learn more about how to apply finite element techniques to nonlinear analysis in the most effective manner. Ideally a student should have some experience of FEA analysis, but this is not essential. The material that is presented is independent of any particular software package, making it ideally suited to current and potential users of all commercial finite element software systems. This course is a must for all engineers aiming to use FEA as a reliable predictive tool for nonlinear analysis.

Course Program

Note: This is a four-week course. Each session represents one 2-hour session each week.(Note: Sessions may last for 2.5-3 hours, including the Q&A sessions.)

Recordings of each session are made available to course attendees in the event they are unable to participate in one or more of the live meetings, or if they wish to review the material following each session.

The times and listed for each session are tentative; we try to schedule these sessions at times convenient for the majority of course attendees.

Session 1 - Thursday April 12th @ 9am EDT, 6am PDT, 2pm BST, 3pm CEST

Finite Element Analysis Overview

Introduction to Nonlinear Analysis

Linear Versus Nonlinear Structural Analysis

Overview of Types of nonlinearity

Geometric

Buckling

Material

Contact

Boundary Conditions

Follower Forces

Theoretical background

Strategy for Nonlinear Analysis

Guidelines for Nonlinear Static Analysis

Homework – simple nonlinear examples

Session 2 - Thursday April 19th @ 9am EDT, 6am PDT, 2pm BST, 3pm CEST

Homework review

Large Displacement or Geometric Nonlinearity

Nonlinear buckling behavior and methods

Case Studies showing geometric and buckling nonlinear behavior

Tips and hints for geometric nonlinearity

Contact surface methods

Pseudo Linear and Nonlinear contact solutions

Case Studies and tips for using contact analysis

Homework – geometric nonlinearity and contact examples

Session 3 - Thursday April 26th @ 9am EDT, 6am PDT, 2pm BST, 3pm CEST

Homework Review

Nonlinear material analysis

Types of material nonlinearity – strain and thermal dependency

Case Studies using small displacement nonlinear material models

Hyperelastic material analysis

Mesh Adaptivity and element erosion

Case studies with highly nonlinear materials

Summary of material nonlinearity with hints and tips

Homework – small and large strain material nonlinearity

Session 4 - Thursday May 3rd @ 9am EDT, 6am PDT, 2pm BST, 3pm CEST

Homework Review

Effects of boundary condition and follower force nonlinearity

Case studies using boundary condition and follower force nonlinearity

Review of dynamic analysis methods

Non-linear Transient Analysis

Implicit versus explicit FE Analysis methods

Overview of Impact Analysis

*Note: While we will make every attempt to follow the course outline, the schedule may be shifted at some point. However, ample notice will be given prior to the start of the course date with regards to the course schedule.

Special Note(s):

Telephony surcharges may apply for attendees who are located outside of North America, South America and Europe. These surcharges are related to individuals who join the audio portion of the web-meeting by calling in to the provided toll/toll-free teleconferencing lines. We have made a VoIP option available so anyone attending the class can join using a headset (headphones w/ microphone) connected to the computer. There is no associated surcharge to utilize the VoIP option, and is actually encouraged to ensure NAFEMS is able to keep the e-Learning course fees as low as possible. Please send an email to the e-Learning coordinator (e-learning @ nafems.org ) to determine if these surcharges may apply to your specific case.

Just as with a live face-to-face training course, each registration only covers one person. If you plan to register a large group (10+), please send an email to e-learning @ nafems.org in advance for group discounts.

For more information, please email e-learning @ nafems.org .

Details

Event Type: CourseLocation: E-Learning OnlineDate: April 12, 2012

Course Instructor

Tony Abbey has created and taught a wide range of FEA based training classes over the past 15 years. He has developed a reputation for providing the student with an experience that is full of insight gained from his extensive experience, but which also challenges and motivates. Tony has been working with FEA for over 30 years, both in Industry and for FEA software providers in the UK and the US.

His informal and interactive presentation style allows the key concepts to be taught in a manner which involves participants fully in the course material. Tony presents papers at NAFEMS and other conferences on a regular basis and has been involved with NAFEMS since its formation.

Why an e-Learning Class?

In the current climate travel and training budgets are tight. To help you still meet your training needs the following e-learning course has been developed to complement the live class. The e-learning course runs over a six week period with a single two hour session per week.

E-learning classes are ideal for companies with a group of engineers requiring training. E-learning classes can be provided to suit your needs and timescale. Contact us to discuss your requirements.